ors and patients. We needed a solution in short order. For some time, ineffi ciencies related to our telecom- munications were a growing concern. Calls from patients needing counseling sometimes went unanswered when call volume was too high or phones were left unattended at remote sites with limited staff. Inter-offi ce communi- cation between on-staff mental health professionals was also diffi cult. Staff needed to dial an outside line and the full phone number, making quick consults cumbersome, and making it impossible to transfer an outside call from one clinic to another.

A

staff mental health professionals was needed to dial an outside line and the making quick e, and

ble de to

Beyond these com- munications challenges,

m- ges,

our phones were affecting our bottom line. The continual interaction between offi ces resulted in high phone bills each month. Staff resources were also being allocated inappro- priately. Instead of focusing on patient care, we had staff at each location doing billing, insurance processing and other administrative tasks. Oakland Psychological Clinic founder Barry Tigay, M.D., agrees there was a problem, “The existing system simply was not answering our needs. We had to improve responsiveness to patient calls and increase collaboration among counselors.”

fecting our bottom line The continual About us

The Oakland Psychological Clinic provides a full range of mental health and chemical-dependency services to children, adolescents, adults, families and organizations. We are a private, for-profi t corporation based in Bloomfi eld, Mich. Over the past 28 years, we’ve grown in response to

26 August 2011

t the Oakland Psychological Clinic, we were utilizing disparate phone systems in each of our offi ces, which was compromising the effective- ness of communication between staff, counsel-

One way we have found to improve practice effi ciencies and at the same time enhance patient care is by replacing our outdated telecommunications system.

the needs of the communities we serve, now operating eight clinics in southeastern Michigan.

This increase in patients comes at a time when state funding is being cut. Over the past two years, states have cut a combined $1.8 billion from the public mental health system, according to a recent report by the National Al- liance for Mental Illness, an advocacy group that tracks mental health spending in all 50 states. We are in the position of literally having to do more with less. We have to balance reduced reimbursements and increased costs with the need to run a profi table practice. In the process, it’s important for us to ensure that the quality of care and overall patient experience are not compromised. One way we have found to improve practice effi ciencies and at the same time enhance patient care is by replacing our outdated telecommunications system.